ESCONDIDO: Woman killed in hit-and-run crash mourned

Friends and family members are mourning the death of a
21-year-old woman killed in a hit-and-run crash Saturday
morning.

Authorities have not officially released the woman's name, but
friends have identified her as Brianna Burlington, who had recently
moved to Escondido from her native Lincoln City, Ore. She was a
passenger in a vehicle that crashed into a minivan at the
intersection of Bear Valley Parkway and San Pasqual Road near
Escondido about 2:22 a.m., according to the California Highway
Patrol.

Tania Roberts, a friend, said Burlington's family was
devastated.

"I can't imagine how they are feeling," Roberts said. "They were
a very close family and Bree loved them all unconditionally."

Roberts described her friend as thoughtful, fun-loving and
considerate.

"She was a kind, warm, free soul that would go out of her way
for anyone anytime," she said. "She loved to laugh and have a good
time and to look at life in a positive light, even if things were
not always so good."

Brianna Burlington came to North County recently to be with her
twin sister Malia Burlington. The two sisters were very close,
Roberts said.

"She was so excited to have 'twin time,'" Roberts said. "She
used to say that it's a twin thing and that no one could understand
it but her and Malia."

On her Facebook page, Malia Burlington thanked people for their
prayers and said the family was in San Diego making funeral
arrangements.

"We need them," she wrote. "We appreciate the effort everyone is
willing to put towards our family, we just need time to process and
understand what's going on. We will get back to you when we
can."

According to authorities, Brianna Burlington was a passenger in
the right rear seat of a 2000 Hyundai Sonata traveling south on
Bear Valley Parkway. The Sonata crashed into the right passenger
side of a 1995 Ford Aerostar minivan driven by Danny Perez, an
Escondido community activist, as he attempted to make a left turn
onto San Pasqual Road.

Perez was briefly hospitalized with minor injuries. His wife,
Rosario Fonseca, who was a passenger in the minivan, suffered
serious injuries, including broken bones and internal bleeding,
Perez said.

The driver of the Hyundai, Joshua Goldbaum, 27, of Escondido,
fled the scene and was later arrested at his home on suspicion of
gross vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, and felony
driving under the influence of a controlled substance, according to
the CHP.

Goldbaum was being held at the Vista jail on $100,000 bail. He
pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of gross vehicular
manslaughter, DUI and hit-and-run.